Stephen Colbert Saves Couple's Wedding After Government Shutdown

Talk show host marries couple on-air Thursday

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Stephen Colbert married a couple and presented it as "The 2013 Government Shutdown Wedding of the Century."

Updated at 11:02 AM EST on Friday, Oct 4, 2013

Mike Cassesso and MaiLien Le were supposed to be married Saturday at the Jefferson Memorial, but the government shutdown put those plans in jeopardy.

Stephen Colbert came to the rescue.

The TV host and apparent ordained minister of the American Marriage Ministry (he showed his license on Thursday's show) married the couple and presented it as "The 2013 Government Shutdown Wedding of the Century."

"Well, Nation," Colbert said, after he explained the couple's story, "I promised you on night one of the shutdown that as leader of the Colbert Nation and Earl Lord of the Afterscape, I would provide all canceled government services and that includes weddings."

But before the couple exchanged vows, Colbert made sure the bride was ready for the special event. She had expressed her nervousness of getting married on TV.

"Don't you ruin this for me," Colbert said to the bride. "This is my special day, okay? I have been dieting for like 15 minutes. But hey, listen everything is going to be OK. You look lovely, but it doesn't matter because everyone is going to be looking at me."

Le soon made her way down the aisle, holding "The Colbert Report's" new Emmy as her bouquet. After the couple was married, "Homeland" star Mandy Patinkin sang the Jewish Shehecheyanu blessing, while Tony Award-winner Audra McDonald performed Billy Idol's "White Wedding."